Muna-powered Jets stun Yankees

Mike Muna retired 12 batters to power the Jets to a come-from-behind 10-9 win over the Saipan Stevedore Yankees in Monday night’s game in the 2015 Saipan Baseball League at the Francisco M. “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.

The Jets’ Mike Muna delivers a pitch during the top of the sixth inning of their game against the Yankees in the 2015 Saipan Baseball League last Monday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The win was only the second in nine games for the young Jets of manager Froilan Camacho while the loss dropped the Yankees to 6-3.

A Yankees win would have pushed them on top of the standings and move closer to clinching the pennant. They face the Fielders for their final regular season game today.

The loss also wasted the Yankees’ triple play, the second this season. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, third baseman Pete Tomokane caught Jason Reyes’ blooper then threw to first baseman Chuck McDonald to tag T.J. Sablan out.

McDonald then made a quick toss back to Tomokane to tag Palmerson Monkeya, who was about to run toward home but chose to return to third base.

Muna, the league’s second-best in strikeouts with 42 total, tossed a complete game and held the Yankees to two runs in the last six innings after allowing a combined seven after three. He was tagged with three earned runs on eight hits and walked six.

The rookie pitcher, a many-time Saipan Little League All-Star, baffled the Yankees batters with breaking balls and his changeups caught his opponents by surprise.

Muna, with the Jets holding on to a one-run advantage, shut down the Yankees in the top of the ninth forcing lead off batter Carl Camacho to ground out to second baseman Keola Camacho, who fielded it cleanly to Henry Reyes at first base.

Gary Cruz, the league’s second-best hitter, represented the tying run after reaching first on an A.J. Evangelista error while Jack Sablan, who was hit by pitch, had the go-ahead run.

Both runners, however, were left stranded after Chris Alepuyo grounded out to Reyes and Muna struck out McDonald to preserve the Jets’ win.

Monkeya went 3-for-5 with two RBIs while Muna scored two runs despite a 1-for-4 plate appearance and had an RBI-double in the bottom of the sixth. Henry Reyes went 2-for-4 and made one run.

The playoffs begin next week. Should a tie for first place occur, a one-game playoff between the two teams would be played to determine the pennant champion and the final rankings for the postseason.